The little things in life are sometimes the most meaningful, and with the right equipment and artistic eye, the most beautiful. That's how Nikon's Small World photography competition sees it. Founded in 1974, the contest showcases the beauty and complexity of light as seen through a light microscope. For 2010, the winning photomicrographs include: colorful, psychedelic soap-film bubbles, cancer cells that appear as flowery pom-poms and an alien-like portrayal of a bird of paradise seed. Here's a look at all the winning photos.

Dr. John Hart of the University of Colorado in Boulder created this image of a crystallized melt of sulfur and acetanilide. (20th place)

This image shows a wistar rat retina outlining the retinal vessel network. Credit: Cameron Johnson, The University of AucklandAuckland, New Zealand. (19th place)

The picture shows a rare soap film pattern, just a few seconds, before the film collapses. "The ball-shape patterns, in my opinion, are the most aesthetical ones," said organic farmer Gerd Guenther, Düsseldorf, Germany, who took the photograph. Credit: Gerd Guenther, Düsseldorf, NRW, Germany. (18th place)